As you know, it is the 30th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. To celebrate, LucasFilm has been releasing some col new books, art prints, posters, and collectibles focusing on the original trilogy sequel. One of my favorite posters from Empire was composed by Japanese artist Noriyoshi Ohrai.

Apparently, StarWarsShop recently discovered one of the actual 8×10-inch high-resolution transparencies of Ohrai’s original artwork within the Lucasfilm archives, and “felt Empire’s 30th anniversary was the perfect occasion to bring back this classic piece of original trilogy illustration.” More details and a full image, after the jump.

StarWarsShop has resurrected Ohrai’s masterpiece illustration in a rich, colorful one-sheet size poster limited to just 500 pieces, a number which is sure to drive desirability once the edition has sold out. Even collectors who own an original release poster exhibiting Ohrai’s Empire artwork will want to pick this one up, as it captures the color and clarity of the artist’s original artwork better than any poster we’ve seen — even the 1980 originals!

Check out the full poster artwork:

More information:

The large, high-res source transparency has allowed them to print this one-sheet size poster with color and clarity true to the original, with quality superior to the U.S. posters printed back in 1980. StarWarsShop has opted to reproduce this rare U.S. version of the artwork complete with English title, a first for this “snow” version of Ohrai’s Empire artwork (incidentally, we’ve also added Ohrai’s painted signature back into the illustration, which had been dropped from the U.S. originals).

You can purchase the 27×40-inch poster by Noriyoshi Ohrai on StarWarsShop for only $19.99. The printing is limited to just 500 pieces, so they are sure to go quick.